Ritual (Ecclesiastical)
One of the greatest strengths among the Established Orders is their unity. Their ability to unite highly individualized characters with specialist abilities into a single fighting force has proven highly effective against the often more disorganized hordes of hell. To maintain this unit it is absolutely vital that Adepts and their Squads keep Rituals. Rituals are not used by Adepts for magick bust instead are ceremonial in nature. They give Squads a sense of honor and importance to certain times or events. They also help Adepts celebrate (or grieve) certain moments in life. No single Ritual is universally celebrated, not even loosely. Different regions in the modern age often hold multiple Ritual traditions even among Squads who are closely related. Most Squads base their Rituals on the liturgical practices of its senior or founding members, as well as on the traditions of any parent Squads that the first members would have broken away from to form the new Squad. While no single Ritual is universally accepted, it is accepted globally that the Chaplain is in charge of all Squad Rituals. The Chaplain leads the Rituals and instructs Squadmates in how to participate in them. Ritual Types Entry Ritual Pretty straightforward, the Ritual of Entry is meant to induct new members into a Squad. Some Squads will have the new initiates walk in and announce themselves before the Regent and the whole Squad, asking the Squad to accept them. Others are a less formal and merely involve the new members participating in a shared meal. Days of the Wilderness Days of the Wilderness is a ritual practiced by most Orders. After someone joins an Order, they usually spend 40 days of training with a more senior member of the Order who will spend the time instructing them on the basics of being in that particular Order and on the world of the Adepts in general. Larger Squads will also practices something similar, although it will usually not be as long as 40 days. Confession Not really a widely practiced Ritual in the modern age, in times past certain periodic times would be set aside for Adepts to mull over their mistakes and confess their sins to a spiritual mentor known as a confessor (preferably a Judge or Monastic). Magdalenes and Monastics still follow this Ritual closely. Breaking Bread To Adepts the term "breaking bread" means more than just some loaves and wine, it means an entire feast. Normally celebrated once a week, the entire Squad is expected to show up and participate. The Chaplain leads the Ritual by starting with an invocation to God, asking Him to be present, and then the feast begins. Eating, drinking, talking, the only rule is for the Squad to enjoy themselves and each other's company. Adepts who practice this Ritual often say it is the most vital of them all. It builds community and brotherhood among the Squad's members and fosters a sense of love and unity. It also helps to make the members feel like they are part of a family. The Vigil The Vigil is a time set aside for corporate prayer among the Squad members. A table is set up with an expensive cloth, statues and other ritual objects important to the particular traditions of the members are arranged on the table, and the light is dimmed, to create an atmosphere of holiness and sanctity. The Chaplain will often recite a set series of prayers to which the members, from the Regent down to the newly initiated, must follow in recitation. Squads lucky enough to have a church or "official" place of worship can use that for the Vigil. But most Squads are either not as fortunate or too paranoid about an Unitiated member of the church stumbling upon them. Thus, they will rent out a room or use a private residence to perform the Vigil. Vigil's can be set at periodic times but some Chaplains claim the best way to practice the Vigil is to set it sporadically. The better to prevent it from becoming mundane. Ritual Washing Some Squads, especially those with a middle-eastern ethnic background, practice various forms of ritual washing or purification with water. Washing the hands before meetings or meals is most common but some practice annual baptisms. Day of the Victorious Dead Squads usually have annual "holidays" to remember fallen members who died in action. They may write farewell letters and leave them posted on certain walls or "shrines of remembrance" where pictures of the dead are kept. Some Squads rent personal masoleums and keep both the remains and gifts of the living there. Truly militant Squads may only give voice to those who died in honorable combat, but most Adepts will honor anyone who lived and died for the cause, even if they simply died peacefully in their sleep one night. Breaking of the Vessels After someone has spent 3 months with a Squad, they may hold a ritual where the person places personal items of importance to themselves into a clay jar and proceed to hurl it from a great height. The jar breaks, signifying that the Adept has cut ties with their former life and now lives as a fully-fledged Adept in service to the Squad's brotherhood. Night of the Fool King A game tournament is held wherein the Regent offers his 'crown' to the winner who then 'rules' as a monarch for a short duration of time (usually a day and a night). The 'fool king' can order people about and they are obligated to obey (within reason). Tournaments are usually sports like paintball or racing, something that is competitive. Pilgrimage Pilgrimages fell out of favor after the Protestant Reformation, but some Squads still practice them today. The Chaplain and Regent together pick a place that is religiously significant (or simply elegant and holy) and together the Squad's members spend a day or more journeying there. The point of the Pilgrimage is for the Squad to get out of their normal, daily lives and reflect on things while somewhere new. Title Investment When one or more Squadmates have been awarded a Title, the Ritual of Investiture is held. Normally, in darkness, a special room or chamber is divided with a long, white cloth curtain. The awardees will enter the room and stand in the first part before the cloth partition as the Chaplain stands with them and recites the honors they are being awarded with. The Chaplain will ask them if they accept and when the Adepts do, he explains that he cannot follow them past the partition. On the other side stands the Regent and the senior or founding members of the Squad, illuminated on all sides by bright candles. The candles are to show that the Adepts exist as beings of light in a world of darkness, which is why the Ritual is historically held at night time. The senior members of the Squad will present the Regent with a sword who then proceeds to dub the Adepts with their new titles. This Ritual has been expanded upon (or shortened) by many Squads, but in the West it is usually practiced as stated above. Title Investment carries an air of importance and a little bit of secrecy, so most Squads keep it private. Election When or if the Squad needs to hold an Election to vote on whether or not to accept new leadership is decided upon by the Chaplain and a majority of the veteran members of the Squad. All members of the Squad get one vote and are allowed to attend, regardless of their social standing (even Unforgiven or Penitents can attend and vote). Elections are rarely pretty if there is an incumbent because such events are rife with political debates and arguing. As such, Chaplains are loath to call for one unless they truly feel it is necessary. Some Squads allow outsider to attend but they cannot vote, only voice their opinions. Some Squads don't even allow any outsiders at all, seeing an Election as a Squad only affair. Internment Adepts are soldiers in God's army, and soldiers fight, and sometimes they die. When a brother or sister Adept has fallen in combat (or simply died from a more natural cause) they are interred. Nazirites, who often have little in the way of secular friends or family, may opt to be literally buried on property held by the Squad (some Squads have special places called 'Winding Paths' where the dead are kept, or Catacombs if they can afford such fancy infrastructure). Most Adepts are Perpetuals and will be buried in a public or denominational cemetery. However, most Squads prefer to hold their own, more private grieving ceremony for a lost member later. Photos of the deceased will be placed in a spot now set aside for them alone and Squadmates can leave gifts like flowers or notes to the deceased. Catacomb / Winding Path Catacombs, if a Squad can make or procure one for itself, are places where the dead can be laid to rest. Also, on a functional level for the still-living, items of great importance can be hidden away there. Catacombs are favored by Squads in Europe and many in the Americas. They are used simultaneously to bury the dead as well as to provide underground hiding spots or escape routes in times of great danger. Winding Paths are similar to Catacombs but they are above ground. Hallways or gardens set aside to hold spots for the deceased (or, more specifically, memorabilia of the deceased), members of the Squad can walk through them and pay respects to the dead, and often relive the past glories and events of a particular Squad. Chaplains lead services held either in Catacombs or Winding Paths, but if the Squad has a Resurrectionist they will usually take charge of keeping and maintaining the Catacombs/Winding Path. Few Adepts dispute such an arrangement. Weekly Exorcism Most Squads, certainly those who have had their fair share of run-ins with evil spirits, maintain a practice of a weekly exorcism. It isn't really that complicated, members of the Squad simply recite a statement to give up the works of evil and commit themselves to do what is right. These statements are often included within daily or weekly Rituals practiced communally by all members of the team. Category:Church